Modifying the Size Distribution through Increasing Assets of the Poor Given correct resource prices and utilization levels for each type of productive factor (labor, land, and capital), we can arrive at estimates for the total earnings of each asset. But to translate this functional income into personal income, we need to know the distribution and ownership concentration of these assets among and within various segments of the population. Here we come to what is probably the most important fact about the determination of income distribution within an economy: The ultimate cause of the unequal distribution of personal incomes in most developing countries is the unequal and highly concentrated patterns of asset ownership (wealth) in these countries.